We'll Know It When We See It
by ewells4
Summary: Post-Season 4 speculation
1. Chapter 1

**This is a three-parter that I actually wrote during the holiday season (probably apparent from the holiday storylines) but never found time to post. These Chapters are actually three standalone post-finale updates with flashbacks imbedded in to each one. Flashbacks are in italics. **

"McNally, we've walked the entire tree lot _twice_," Sam grumbled as he trailed along behind Andy.

"Well, we haven't found it yet," she reminded him, stopping to survey one particular tree before dismissing it and moving on. Sam barely acknowledged the stop. The first few times she'd done that he perked up, thinking they might actually be on their way home with a tree soon. But after no fewer than ten such stops and starts, he realized it would be a while before he'd be enjoying the warmth of his truck again.

"What was wrong with that one?" he pressed her, pointed back at the last tree they'd passed.

"Nothing," she informed him with a shrug. "It just wasn't_ the_ tree."

"Why don't you tell me what _the_ tree looks like then in case I happen to see it first."

Andy rolled her eyes at him. "We'll know it when we see it, Sam. Besides, what's the rush? You got somewhere else to be?"

"Yes," he spoke up immediately, causing her to turn and look at him. "On the couch in a warm house admiring a newly-decorated Christmas tree."

"You're lucky I didn't drag you to a tree farm to cut down a tree, City Boy," she teased him, throwing a smile back over her shoulder. "I took it easy on you, so you should be thanking me."

"I think I like the 'thanking' part, at least. That sounds like something I could get on board with, McNally. When does that start?"

Andy looked back at him again and raised an eyebrow suggestively. Since they'd gotten back together, Sam had very little self-restraint when it came to Andy. After being deprived of her for so long, he couldn't get enough. Even after ten months of being back together, any mild flirtation on her part had the potential to send him right over the edge, and it usually did. Today was no exception. Sam grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and turning her around to face him. He quickly covered her surprised expression with a playful kiss. Andy smiled, giggling contentedly against his lips.

"Okay, so we're just one holiday cliché away from being featured on a greeting card commercial," Andy noted, sliding her arms around his neck as she grinned at him.

Sam shook his head and chuckled, acknowledging the truth of the statement as well as the realization that he couldn't bring himself to care. They were Sam and Andy again, and that thought made him feel happy and fulfilled in a way he hadn't just a year before. Wanting to get her home as soon as possible, he stepped back and surveyed the trees immediately surrounding them, hoping one would step forward and magically declare itself to be _the _tree.

"Where did that come from anyway?" Andy asked as she started walking down the row of trees again. "One minute you're grumbling and the next minute you're planting a big sloppy one on me in the middle of the lot."

"Really, McNally? Sloppy? I don't think so." He raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her.

"Hmmm. I guess I could have been mistaken." She pretended to reconsider, tapping her index finger on her chin. "I think I may need a few more examples to properly judge."

"Then let's slap a tree in the back of the truck and get going." As Andy started combing through the trees again, he added, "And just because I'm grumbling doesn't mean I'm not happy to be here with you. I grumble about a lot of things. It's part of my charm."

"That's true. You _are_ pretty charming."

As she continued to inspect every tree they passed and he pretended to be annoyed, Sam thought about how far they'd come since making the decision to try again ten months before. He remembered how nervous he'd been when he approached her about giving them another try and how the payoff had been worth every bit of anxiety he experienced leading up to it.

_After being discharged from the hospital, Oliver dropped off Sam at home. Because he hadn't been cleared to drive yet, Sam promptly called a cab and went straight to Andy's place. He'd seen her a few times at the hospital, but her visits always seemed to coincide with someone else's, giving them no chance to talk. The most awkward visit occurred when she crossed paths with his sister. Andy had been visibly uncomfortable, staying only a few minutes before excusing herself. Sam blamed himself for that. He'd set up so many boundaries when they were together that she didn't feel comfortable crossing them now that he wanted her to know him better._

_By the time he was released, Sam was definitely feeling the pull to see and talk to her. He stood in front of Andy's building for several minutes, steeling himself for one of a few possibilities. First, and obviously a worst case scenario, Collins could be in there with her. Sam could hardly consider that possibility, though, without feeling compelled to do a full 180 and call the cab to come back and get him. Second, she could be alone but unreceptive to his presence at her house and in her life. True, she'd said some amazing things to him in the ambulance, but she was also afraid he might die at the time. People did and said things they didn't always mean in life-or-death situations. The third and best case scenario was that she'd actually be happy to see him and things would progress from there._

_When he finally reached her doorstep, Sam raised his hand to knock no fewer than three times, each time lowering it unsuccessfully back to his side. Finally, he told himself to "man up" and knocked on her door, fighting the instinct to flee the building before she opened it._

_A few seconds of silence passed before he heard the sound of socked feet padding toward the door. As the footsteps got closer, Sam's heart rate accelerated. _

_Suddenly, the door swung open and there she was, looking as unsure as he felt. Without a word, she stepped back to let him in and closed the door behind him. As she turned to face him Sam jammed his hands in his pockets to keep them from betraying him by fidgeting around nervously._

"_Oliver said you were being discharged today," Andy offered hesitantly. "How are you feeling?" _

_Emotionally, he was a bit of a wreck, but assuming she was inquiring after his physical well being, he quietly answered, "Not too bad, all things considered." After that, he didn't know where or how to begin. She was searching his eyes, undoubtedly looking for cues from him. During the past year they'd both gotten used to a certain emotional distance when in each other's presence. Now, the rules had changed because of the things they said to each other before and after the shooting. Neither of them seemed to know how to handle their new status, whatever that was._

_Sam took a quick glance around her condo and quickly ruled out his first and worst case scenario. Unless he was hiding in the bedroom, Collins did not appear to be there. He could tell Andy was definitely alone. So that was a relief, as was the fact that she hadn't immediately sent him packing. _

_Finally, Andy asked if he wanted to sit and motioned to the couch. He sat on one end and she sat near the other end, turning to face him with her arm resting on the back of the couch and one leg tucked underneath her. _

"_We need to talk," he forced out, turning his head to look at her with his hands planted stiffly on his thighs._

"_Yeah, we do" she agreed, locking eyes with him._

_As nervous as Sam was, he refused to force her to carry the conversation. If he'd learned anything during the past year—and he'd learned a lot, actually—it was that he needed to force himself to be more open with the people he cared about. She was the person he cared most about and he wanted her to see that if they were to try again, things would be different. _

"_Did you mean what you said in the ambulance?" Sam blurted out, wishing he sounded more eloquent and less desperate but knowing it wasn't in his power to do so. Everything hinged on her answer, and it was impossible for him to be composed while asking such a weighted question. _

_She held his gaze as she responded, "Yes, I did."_

_He actually released an audible sigh and a small smile erupted on his face. Something he thought he could never reclaim was now suddenly a possibility again and this realization had his mind and heart on overdrive. "After all this time, you still feel that way?" he questioned, not entirely believing the truth of what she'd said. "How is that possible after everything that's happened?"_

_Andy matched his smile with a tentative one of her own. He could tell she was as nervous as he was. She looked down at the couch, collecting her thoughts before meeting his eyes again. "We've caused each other a lot of pain, and I really did try to move on. I wanted to be happy again. Without you, though, it just seems like I'm going through the motions. I can be happy with a lot of people, but I'm happiest when I'm with you, Sam. I feel the most fulfilled when I'm with you." Then, turning the tables on him, she asked, "What about you? How do you feel?"_

_His hands pressed down heavily on his thighs. He knew he had to lay it out there if he hoped to get her back, so he quickly forged ahead. "I love you, Andy. I never stopped, and I'm sorry for leaving you in that parking lot and for all the bad decisions I've made since then."_

_At first, her expression was unreadable but then her smile began to grow almost imperceptibly as she slowly scooted toward him on the couch. She reached down and took his closest hand in both of hers, looking down at it and fumbling around with their linked fingers._

"_Andy," he began, willing her to look at him. When she raised her eyes to his, he continued with, "I don't have any expectations. I screwed up and although I don't deserve a chance to fix things with us, I'd like to try if that's what you want."_

_Her answer was a smile that actually reached her eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been responsible for putting a smile like that on her face. He felt elated, but nothing could equal the overwhelming sense of relief that overtook him when she said, "I told Nick I needed a break. Probably a permanent one. I can't be with him when my heart is still with you."_

"_Good," he breathed, smiling at her and turning his body so that they were facing each other. Not able to resist, he ran his fingers down the length of a strand of her hair and then began playing with the ends. "As you've probably guessed, Marlo and I are done."_

"_Yeah, you probably should have led with that," she informed him with a wry smile, "but I guess I assumed it based on the substance of the conversation."_

"_Andy, I shouldn't have been with her. It wasn't fair to you or me and certainly not to her. I thought I wanted to move on and that being with someone else was the way to do that. And then when I realized it wasn't going to work, I was too stubborn to admit it to myself—and to you." _

"_I blame myself, too," Andy spoke up, wanting to take some of the burden off of him. "Don't get me wrong. You definitely did your fair share of the dirty work. I just—I shouldn't have left for the UC op with things the way they were between us. At the time, I wasn't thinking clearly, though. I was hurt, and I needed time to regroup. And I know I left with you thinking I no longer felt the same way about you. It was some really bad decision-making on my part. I should have talked to you about my decision to go before I left. At the time, Luke told me I didn't have time for goodbyes, but if I'd wanted to make it happen I could have. I wish I had made it happen," she admitted. _

_When he continued to play with her hair, Andy laughed. "Okay, that's really distracting." _

"_Do you want me to stop?" Sam asked in a teasing tone that let her know he had no intention of doing so. _

"_I wouldn't dream of it." She smirked at him. "You probably wouldn't listen to me anyway. You _can_ be rather stubborn. Your words. Not mine." _

_Sam smiled at her as a sense of calmness overtook him. "So . . . are we going to be okay?" he clarified, drawing out the question as he asked it._

"_I'm game if you are," she told him, issuing a mock challenge._

"_Oh, I'm _definitely_ game, McNally."_

"I think this is the one. What do you think?" Andy broke in to his thoughts with the announcement that she had, at long last, found their tree.

"I think I liked this one thirty minutes ago when we passed it the first time, but if it means there's a real possibility that we could be cozied up on the couch celebrating in the not-too-distant future, I have to admit that it's the most perfect tree I've ever seen. In fact, I might go so far as to call it an evergreen miracle."

"Okay, then let's get it," she announced with excitement. Andy bounced lightly on the balls of her feet and then closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck again. "Thank you for being so patient. I know I'm kind of a pain about this."

"Maybe just a little bit," he admitted, narrowing his eyes at her and giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "Now go get the guy and tell him the good news so we can be on our merry way."


	2. Chapter 2

"Good job with the lights. If I didn't know better, I'd think this wasn't the first tree you'd decorated," Andy teased Sam as she opened the box of ornaments and started sorting them.

"It's not," he boasted as he looped the final strand of white lights around the top half of the tree. "I've helped out with Oliver's tree a few times, so I'm far from a novice, McNally. Of course, I wouldn't say I've done a lot of the Christmas thing over the years. Growing up, Christmases were kind of a non-event. And as an adult, I've just mostly done my own thing. Sometimes, I've been undercover during the holidays. You know, kind of a mixed bag . . . . But I've never done much celebrating."

"Yeah, well, this year you're going to celebrate the heck out of the holiday. Do you wanna know why?" Andy asked intensely, lifting a glass ball out of the ornament box.

"No, I don't think I do," he responded with a laugh. "I'm actually a little scared of you right now."

"This is like when you say you don't want to know something but you really do, right?"

"No. Not even a little bit."

"Nice try. I don't believe you. Anyway . . . you're with Andy McNally. This is an Andy McNally Christmas and Andy McNally doesn't celebrate Christmas halfway. So you should get ready for something _really _special."

"And just like that, I went from a 'little scared' to 'terrified.'" He chuckled as a wary expression crossed his face.

"That's okay. I expected you to be a little Grinchey about the whole Christmas experience."

"_Grinchey_?" Sam stared her down with a raised eyebrow that was intended to intimidate but unfortunately missed its mark.

"You know," she said as she approached the tree with the ornament and slid it on to a branch. "The Grinch. Big, grouchy, green guy . . . ."

"I'm familiar with Dr. Seuss. I just fail to see the similarity. I happen to love the holiday season even though I've never done much celebrating," he claimed.

"No, you don't," Andy called him out with a laugh, lifting out another ornament and handing it to him.

He took the ornament from her and eyed it suspiciously. It was a bird sitting on a nest of twigs. "This one's a little feminine, don't you think?"

"Just hang it on the tree!" She swatted at him, missing her target when he side-stepped her arm and hung the bird's nest on the tree. "I'm sorry I don't have anything more manly for you to hang. Besides, this tree is in my condo, and in case you hadn't noticed, I _am _a female."

"Oh, believe me, Andy, I've noticed." He waggled his eyebrows as he approached her. Then, with one smooth movement, he scooped her up and tossed her gently on the couch, quickly settling above her and dropping a soft, lingering kiss on her mouth.

Andy gave him a half-hearted push to move him off of her, but they both knew she wasn't committed to it. "Sam," she whined, "We're supposed to be decorating the tree. You're getting distracted too easily."

"We are decorating. Look," he said, turning his head to face the tree.

"We've only put up two ornaments!" she protested.

"And it looks amazing," he claimed. "I'm actually more of a minimalist anyway. Why don't we just call it 'good,'" he suggested, kissing a spot behind her ear that elicited a low moan from Andy.

Finally, she managed to mutter, "Well, I'm not a minimalist. I happen to like a fully-decorated Christmas tree."

"I'm just spreading some holiday cheer," he mumbled as he ghosted featherlight kisses down her neck.

Giving in, she brought his mouth back up to hers and pulled him in to a long, languid kiss that left them both breathless. The prospect of seeing a fully-decorated tree within the next few hours dimmed considerably.

Sometime later, they lay underneath a thick blanket on the couch, facing each other with their legs intertwined. When Andy asked Sam if perhaps he might be ready to finish decorating the tree, he answered by pulling her in tightly against his bare chest and burying his head in her hair.

Looking over his shoulder, Andy giggled at the sight of their clothes tossed haphazardly around the room and one of Sam's socks hanging from a branch. "Wow, you weren't kidding about spreading holiday cheer," she remarked with an impressed tone.

He quickly glanced behind him before burrowing back in to the space between her neck and shoulder, mumbling, "That's what you call progress, McNally. Now we have three ornaments on the tree."

Hours later, after a nap and another round of "holiday cheer," Andy peeled Sam off the couch and forced him back in to his clothes. When he didn't seem amenable to the idea, she picked up his shirt from the pile and pulled it over his head herself. She tossed him his boxers, making the bold claim that they _were_ going to have a decorated tree by the end of the evening.

"Fine," he grumbled as he got dressed. Andy was already fully-clothed again and pawing through the ornament box.

"Here, hang these," she instructed with a laugh as she made him a small pile of ornaments on the coffee table.

"Hmmm," he said as he checked out his pile. "Do you have one of these for every year?" he asked, holding up an ornament that said _Happy Holidays 1997_. It was an ornament with three bears hugging each other.

"Pretty much. My Mom used to get an ornament for us every year. After she left, Dad usually kept up the tradition, but I think he may have missed a few years," she reflected as she hung a drummer boy ornament on the other side of the tree.

"Oh," he responded thoughtfully. Sensing a change in his mood, Andy looked around the tree at Sam and could tell he was deep in thought, probably about his own childhood and the fact that he didn't have many family Christmas traditions of his own. Since getting back together, Sam had been more open with her about his family. She could tell he was definitely trying to share more with her, and she appreciated the added details about his past. Instead of feeling like he had to talk, he seemed to _want _to talk to her now. Every now and then he'd drop some new story or details on her about his childhood and teenage years. It was a slow process, but gradually, Andy was getting to know more about what made Sam who he was. Just two nights before, they had been lying in bed talking about a case they'd both worked that day when he transitioned almost seamlessly over to a story about himself.

"_I actually feel bad for the guy, you know," Andy said as she rubbed her hand in circles on Sam's arm. They were lying in bed and he had her pulled up against his chest with his arm wrapped around her mid-section. _

"_Of course you feel bad for him. He's a nice guy. That doesn't mean he wasn't still in the wrong. Sometimes nice people go down the wrong paths in life. Doesn't mean they're not nice, Andy. Just wrong. And sometimes people who are on the wrong paths stumble on to the right paths . . . " Sam reflected._

_Before Andy could say anything he continued talking. Soon, it became obvious that he was no longer talking about the case and that he was getting more personal. "I used to think the hand you were dealt was the luck of the draw, but lately I've started to wonder if we're sometimes given the chance to make choices that have the power to change the course of our lives. Sort of like a course correction._

"_I believe that more and more when I think about the path I was on as a kid and where I ended up." Andy wasn't even sure Sam realized he was talking out loud until he caught her off guard by addressing her directly. "You know about my Dad and the stuff at home, right?"_

"_Yes. I remember," she said quietly with a nod. She knew he was only looking for an assurance from her that she was still there with him before continuing. They had talked about his home life several times in recent months. The first time, she'd been surprised when he started talking about his childhood in the truck on the way back from his sister's house. She'd thought she covered her surprise well. Apparently she was more transparent than she realized, though, because he looked over at her and said, "Yeah, I know it's a real shocker to find out that I actually do have a past." Since that first talk in the truck, they'd had several more such 'conversations' and she was less surprised now when he suddenly felt the need to share and launched in to details about his past._

"_So I really just wanted to be away from there as much as possible. I ended up hanging around with some guys at this body shop downtown. They were mostly good guys just like the guy we arrested today. The guy who owned the body shop where we hung out also had a few side businesses, one of which involved fencing stolen car parts. Some of us started working for him. Mostly, it was just something to do. A way to pick up a little extra cash. At the time, I was kind of like, 'Why not?' It was pretty small time stuff, but then I got picked up by the cops. I ran in to the guy who eventually became my T.O. He was around the station last year. I don't know if you remember. Nash and I worked a case with him." He stopped for a second and she nodded, letting him know that she did remember. "Meeting him completely changed my life. I gained some perspective and for the first time, it was like someone suggested that maybe there was a different path for me." _

_There was a long period of silence and Andy thought he was finished talking. Then suddenly he said, "Anyway . . . that was my course correction." _

"_So basically, what you're saying is that maybe the universe has a plan for you after all?" she suggested in a knowing tone._

"_Yep. I guess that's what I'm saying . . . ." He let out a low laugh and pulled her closer to him. _

When the ornament box was empty, Andy and Sam stood back to examine their handiwork.

"McNally, I have to confess, it does look pretty great," Sam admitted, putting his arm around her shoulders as they looked at the fully-decorated tree. The sun had set hours before, and the tree lights glowed warmly in Andy's otherwise dark condo.

Andy laid her hands on Sam's chest, grinning up at him. "So, I have one more to add," she told him, walking quickly toward her bedroom. When she came back out, she had an ornament dangling from her finger as she held it out for his inspection.

He took it from her and smiled. "Hmm, that's a nice one." He immediately put it on the front of the tree, rearranging a few of the other ornaments to make room. Moving back over to her he picked up both of her hands, pulling her toward him. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," he told her, briefly glancing back at the ornament on the tree. Two fat snowmen stood with their arms wrapped around each other. Sam's name was written on one of them and Andy's was on the other with the year inscribed in the snow at the bottom of the ornament.

"Don't you go getting all sappy on me here," she warned him playfully. Then, because she couldn't resist she added, "Get it-sappy? You know, because trees make sap and we were doing the whole Christmas tree thing . . . ."

"Yeah, I get it," he groaned but pulled her in for a tight hug.

'You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, too," she murmured as she wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly.


	3. Chapter 3

"Waiting for anyone in particular?" Oliver asked as he approached Sam from behind and clapped him on the shoulder. Sliding on to the adjacent bar stool, Oliver smiled at him knowingly.

"No. Not especially," Sam responded, feigning nonchalance. He raised a half-empty pint glass to his lips in an attempt to hide an emerging grin. He knew Oliver had probably noticed he was keeping an eye on the door as he waited for Andy.

"She'll be here soon. She probably just took a bit longer than usual to primp in the locker room. It is New Year's Eve, after all," Oliver needlessly reminded Sam as he held up a hand to signal for the bartender's attention. "Why didn't you just give her a lift?"

"I finished up early and she said she'd meet me here. It's been a while, though . . ." Sam trailed off, looking past Oliver at the door. He couldn't help but remember another time he'd been waiting for Andy at the Penny when she didn't show up. He'd watched the same door for hours that night, his hopes sinking every time it opened without her walking through it. He quickly shook off the thought, though. That had been a long time ago and they were in a different—a much better—place now.

"That's what they do, Brother," Oliver informed him sagely. "The ladies . . . they like to keep us waiting." As the bartender approached, Oliver pointed at Sam's beer and said, "I'll have one of those. Thanks."

"What about you, man? Where's Celery tonight?"

"All in good time. She had a few things to take care of—New Year's Eve is one of her busier times, you know. Love spells and the like. People wanting to start off the New Year right. She told me to go have fun and said she'd find me when the time was right," Oliver said, sipping his beer contentedly.

"What does that even mean? 'When the time is right?'" Sam scoffed with a look of confusion.

"Hell if I know," Oliver said with a laugh. "She always seems to know when and where to find me, though. One of the benefits to dating a witch, I guess."

"Doesn't take a witch to know that if it's after shift, you'll be sitting right there on that bar stool," Sam observed with a smirk.

"Touché," Oliver acknowledged, clinking his glass against Sam's.

As the door opened behind him, Oliver saw the spark ignite in Sam's eyes and he knew without even looking that Andy had just walked in. "And just like that, I'm no longer in the room," Oliver remarked to a distracted Sam.

Sam watched as Andy walked through the door in the middle of a lively conversation with Collins. He knew Collins and Andy were strictly in the "friend zone" now, but that didn't stop him from occasionally feeling apprehensive when he saw the two of them together. Andy had a past with the guy and they really did seem to have a good connection. After ten months of building a stronger relationship with her, though, Sam's lingering doubts had become only occasional and they were usually fleeting. That night was no exception. As soon as she cleared the door, Collins lost her attention and she began scanning the bar. Within seconds her eyes rested on Sam and a huge grin spread across her face. And just like that, any concerns he had vanished. She was his and no one else's and he felt completely certain of that.

Andy headed toward the rookie table where Epstein and Diaz were waiting. The bar was crowded because of the holiday, but they'd managed to snag a high-topped table with enough stools for their friends. As Andy walked by with Collins she casually ran her hand across Sam's upper back. When he turned and smiled at her she looked back over her shoulder and winked at him.

As Sam turned back to his beer, Oliver commented, "You two seem to be doing well these days. I don't think I've ever seen you this consistently happy."

"I don't think I've ever been this consistently happy," Sam responded. "She makes me happy and I think I make her happy, too. Things are good."

"Why you ever thought you could let her go is beyond me, Brother."

"A truer statement was never made," Sam conceded, slightly lifting his glass in agreement. Taking another sip, he looked over his shoulder at Andy. Collins had abandoned her for the dartboard, so she was sitting at the table chatting animatedly with Epstein and Diaz. He thought back to a similar night at the Penny during the time when they weren't together. He recalled how different things had been between them then and how dejected he'd felt at the time as he watched her.

_Andy was sitting several tables away from Sam and Marlo. As usual of late, she and Collins were in a deep discussion about something. Every now and then one of them would tease the other and they'd both laugh. An uneasy feeling crept over Sam as he watched them. Yes, he admitted to himself, he was watching them. At first when Andy returned from the task force he tried to ignore her, but he quickly realized he was not going to be able to do that. So he became a covert observer. He just couldn't shake the compulsion to know what was going on in her life. Unfortunately, what appeared to be going on in her life at present was that she was becoming more romantic with Collins. He'd seen the interest from Collins' side for a while, but it now looked like Andy was reciprocating the sentiments, which told Sam she was moving on. Ironically, this new development was coming just when he was starting to accept the fact that he was still hopelessly in love with her. So now he had the privilege—not unlike what he'd experienced when she was with Callaghan—of watching her move further away from him in to Collins' waiting arms. _

_Collins said something that must have been funny, and Andy put her hand on his forearm, gifting him with a laugh that would have caused Sam a great deal of happiness if he had been the cause. Sam's hand trembled minutely, sloshing some of his beer on the table. Andy was happy. And he was left feeling miserable and alone. _

_Well, not technically alone, he supposed. "Careful there. You're making a mess of our table," Marlo warned him jokingly, smiling from across the table._

"_Sorry," Sam apologized absently, paying very little attention to what she said. Realizing he was zoning out on Marlo, he forced himself to refocus on her._

"_Are you okay?" she asked, furrowing her brow._

"_Yeah. Why?" Sam gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. It was a smile he'd perfected during the past few months. He had become so adept at covering up how he was truly feeling that he felt confident Marlo didn't even notice he was largely absent from their relationship. If she did notice, she probably didn't mind. After all, maintaining a healthy distance was part of who they were as a couple._

_As Collins rubbed Andy's back lightly Sam found himself coming unglued. In an attempt to cover his loss of control, he snatched a pretzel out of the bowl on their table and began violently chewing it. Marlo must have noticed because she eyed him suspiciously. "Sam, what's going on?"_

_The concerned hand Marlo laid on his forearm was heavy and unwelcome. "Nothing," he responded blankly, standing up and dropping some money on the table to cover his tab. "I'm just tired. Long day."_

_When Marlo looked like she was going to gather her things to leave with him he forced a smile and said, "No. You stay and enjoy yourself. I'm just going to go home and get some sleep."_

_Marlo shrugged, not doing a very effective job of concealing a bewildered expression. Sam knew he needed to end things with her. Tonight wasn't the night, though. He felt empty and knew the only thing for him to do was go home to his dark house and wallow in the misery he had created for himself._

"Ugh," Gail interrupted Sam's thoughts as she slid in beside him at the bar to order another drink. "Someone needs to dump a cold bucket of water on you guys. It's been almost a year since you got back together and you're still all googly-eyed every time she's in the room. And she's the same way. Bleck." She sneered at him with a look of distaste on her face.

Sam surveyed Gail with a wry smile and then slid off his stool, walking over to the rookie table. Coming up behind Andy, he wrapped his arms around her and planted a kiss on the side of her neck. She turned her head and beamed at Sam.

"That's probably not the best idea. My boyfriend's here, and he doesn't like to share," she warned, raising a conspiratorial eyebrow at him.

"You're absolutely right. He doesn't like to share," he mumbled in a low, gruff voice that was so close to her ear only she could hear it.

"Happy New Year," Andy whispered, turning to face him. She linked her arms around his neck, staring up at Sam with all the googly-eyed adoration she felt for him.

"Not quite yet, but you're definitely on to something there with the 'happy' part, McNally," he informed her, matching her smile with one of his own.

"Get a room!" came the unmistakable voice of Gail Peck from across the Penny.

A low rumble escaped from Sam's chest as they sank in to a long, silky kiss that earned more catcalls from around the bar as Andy pulled him in deeper and ran her hands through his hair.

"Okay, you two. This is a public place," Traci interrupted them as she approached the table. She dropped a large plastic bag on the ground at her feet.

"Did you get it?!" Andy asked her excitedly, pulling away from Sam and diving for the bag.

"Of course. Did you actually doubt me? I mean, I know time was tight, but we needed this stuff, so . . . ." Traci smiled proudly as Andy rummaged through the bag.

Dov and Chris craned their necks to take a peek. "Sweet!" Dov said loudly, drawing the attention of everyone at the surrounding tables. He took a party horn from Traci's extended hand and blew it at Chris.

Sam groaned as Andy dropped a hat on the table in front of him.

"Wear it, wear it, wear it, wear it," Andy chanted. He had claimed her stool when she vacated it, so she took up position in the space between his legs.

"Why would I do that?" he asked skeptically as he eyed the Happy New Year top hat suspiciously.

"Well, you should know that wearing a cool hat is a prerequisite to any quality New Year's celebration," she told him matter-of-factly.

"Not a chance, McNally," he informed her, sliding the hat away. Andy picked it up and put it on her own head, smiling devilishly at him.

Sam had to admit that it looked pretty cute on her. In truth, McNally was irresistible in just about everything, no matter how ridiculous it was. As she tossed a provocative expression his way, he laid his hands on her waist and pulled her closer.

"Let's go home now and have our own celebration," he whispered in her ear.

"We are _not _leaving before midnight, Sam. Besides, the countdown is about to start. I think we can wait until 12:01 for the after party." She giggled, resting her hands on his hips lightly and brushing his lips with a suggestive kiss.

"_12:01_," he whined. "I think it'll be at least 12:10 by the time we get to your place. 12:20 if we go to mine."

"Then my place it is," she decided with a definitive nod.

"You know, in the New Year, I think we need to talk about consolidating our places in to our _place_," Sam suggested tentatively, pulling his head back a bit to gauge her reaction. It was something he'd been meaning to discuss with her for a while, but it had taken time to work up the nerve. Apparently, several pints of beer had provided enough courage to pop the seal on the discussion.

"_Really_?" she remarked, disbelief evident on her face.

"Why do you look so surprised, McNally?"

"I don't know. It's just not a topic I thought you'd ever bring up, I guess. I assumed I'd be the one to mention it at some point. Thanks for stealing my thunder, by the way," she said, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

"I figured it would be you, too, but you seemed to be taking your time, so I decided I just had to bite the bullet and put it out there. That hurt, by the way," he told her as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Sam, it did not hurt! I barely touched you," she challenged him with a laugh. "And do you really think 'bite the bullet' is the most appropriate expression given the year you've had?"

"Probably not," he agreed, dipping his head down toward hers. Speaking in a gruff whisper that only Andy could hear as he stared directly in to her eyes, he asked, "So am I to assume you're on board with cohabitation?"

"Oh, I'm definitely on board," she told him as the ten-second countdown started and her face inched closer to his.

"Happy New Year, McNally."

"Happy New Year, Sam," she breathed out as the bar erupted in to cheers and she closed the final distance between them.


End file.
